


Heroes among men

by Lica_K



Category: Death Stranding (Video Games), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom
Genre: CLIFAN, Dylan and Cliff's relationship if they had met as military soldiers, M/M, Military AU, Military Training, young!Cliff, young!Dylan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:02:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26143036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lica_K/pseuds/Lica_K
Summary: After returning from another mission abroad together with his companions, Captain Unger is surprised by an unusual request from his superior, Major Campbell. Apparently one of the instructors responsible for the new recruits, ended up getting hurt and now the major would like Cliff to take his place until the end of the training. Although he does not feel he has the requirements to be an instructor, he accepts the request thinking that it might be a good idea to take a break from his missions as a member of the Army Special Forces. Among the new recruits, the captain ends up meeting Dylan Wright. A young boy who ended up joining the army as a way to run away from his home, especially his parents.
Relationships: Clifford Unger/Dylan Ethan Wright, Die-Hardman & Clifford Unger, Dylan Ethan Wright & Gael Neeson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Report number one: An unusual request

**Author's Note:**

> [The story will be divided into a chapter/reports]
> 
> Basically a military au clifan.

The tension in the closed room where the small group of men were gathered around two people seated facing each other, separated by a wooden table, grew with each second with the expectation of something to happen. The silence in the room was only broken when one of the two men seated pulled the trigger of the gun against his own head. That was definitely a Russian Roulette.

The group of men who observed all this could be divided between two: those who cheered for the man sitting on the left with blond hair and those who cheered for the man on the right with brown hair, with a unique amber color in the eyes.

Basically, each of the men seated had a gun in hand and at each match they had to pull the trigger close to their own head. If nothing happened, they would turn the revolver drum and repeat.

“Captain, it might be better to stop here.” suggested the only man there who had a serious expression and didn't seem to like that competition very much. His suggestion was made for the amber-eyed man. “If the major finds out…”

“Relax, John. That won't happen as long as no one here says anything.” all the men agreed with his words, either by grumbling or by nodding. “And I don't know where all of your concern comes from.” he spun his revolver's drum. “You're not the one who is going to get shot in the head.” the captain said playfully before placing the gun close to his own head and pulling the trigger while facing the blonde in front of him. By the sound, it indicated that there was no bullet.

The men on the right shouted in celebration, while those on the left looked disappointed and concerned. The blonde seemed to have started to sweat cold, making a sequence of breaths to try to calm down. The captain smiled, placing his weapon on the table.

“Your turn, Tyler.” he said before crossing his arms, waiting.

Tyler picked up his revolver at the table and turned the drum around before putting his head close. After a few seconds of mental preparation, the blonde finally pulled the trigger. In a noise similar to a pop, the blonde's head was covered by several party confetti, content that was inside the bullet he shot.

“Fuck!” he swore loudly when he felt the pain of the bullet and also for knowing that he had lost in the bet.

All the men who watched the competition spoke out loud with the end of the dispute. Either for cheers of celebration or for grumbling for having bet wrong. They all had dogtags around their necks, as well as wearing military uniforms. And the captain was the one with the highest status there, although he always treated his teammates as equals, even when they went out on dangerous missions together.

The captain was a 28-year-old man, one of the youngest to reach the position of captain, with short, elegant brown hair, amber eyes, well-defined features and a charming smile. His dogtags that dangle around his neck had his name inscribed on the first line. Unger, Clifford.

“Better luck next time.” said the captain, rising from his chair to tap Tyler's shoulder in a friendly way. “Don't forget to hand over today's mission reports to me first thing tomorrow morning.” after receiving congratulations from his men, Cliff left with John.

“Was it really necessary to make that bet? I would write the reports without a problem if you had asked.” said John as they walked down the corridors of the military base where they were.

They and the group of men who were gathered in that room had just returned from an overseas mission. All of them were part of the United States Army Special Forces.

“Everyone has to write reports, John, as boring as they are.” Cliff reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. “Today was Tyler's turn, whether he wanted to do it or not.” pushing one of the cigarettes up, he took it with his mouth before looking back at his friend, when he realized that John was looking at him in a disapproving way. “What?”

“What would you have done if the bullet had been yours?” John asked, not understanding why the other man's had risked that way. “Or worse, what if someone found out what we were doing there?”

“You worry too much.” the captain started looking for his lighter in his pockets. “And if anyone found out, the one who would take the blame and the consequences probably will be me for allowing and participating.” explained in a calm tone, without any concern.

“That's what worries me, sir!” exclaimed the man, looking extremely upset. “You just got promoted to captain and you could lose that just because of nonsense like that?!”

“Did you see my lighter? I could swear I put it in my pocket... or did I leave it in my backpack?” Cliff asked, more concerned with not finding his lighter than with his friend's concerns.

Before John could complain again, the two had their conversation interrupted when they heard someone calling for the captain from afar. Walking towards them with firm steps and a confident posture, was an older man with gray hair, in military clothes that indicated he was a major. John was already completely tense and worried about the presence of the superior, while Cliff, calmly and discreetly, took the cigarette out of his mouth to hide it in his pocket because, of course, smoking was not allowed inside there.

“Good afternoon, Major Campbell.” Cliff greeted the major politely, as well as saluted, as did John. “I was already going to your office to report about today's mission.”

“We can leave that for later. I have something more urgent to talk to you.” the eldest spoke straight to the point, really looking more concerned with other matters than with the mission they just returned from.

“Of course, sir.” the captain agreed before looking at his friend. “Go ahead, John. I'll catch up with you later.” not seeming to like to leave his friend alone, but knowing that this was neither the time nor the place to disobey with the orders of his superiors, John formally said goodbye to them before leaving them alone in the corridor. “Do you prefer to talk here or somewhere else, sir?”

“How would you feel if I asked you to be one of the instructors of the young recruits?”

The captain blinked several times, confused and surprised by his superior's question. It was really an unusual request, especially considering that he did not have the proper instructions to be in the training area.

“Surprised, for sure, sir.” Cliff looked at the major closely, trying to understand the reason for that sudden question. “If you allow me to ask, did something happen?”

“Well, one of our instructors ended up hurting himself, after trying to fix his own car, and that was how he breaked his leg, so now we need someone to take his place.” the major explained the situation, scratching his own eyebrow. “For that reason, I ended up thinking about recommending you to take his place, in case you are interested.”

Although he was flattered that the major had thought about him to the point of wanting to recommend him for the position of instructor, Cliff was also a little discouraged at the thought of having to deal with a group of young recruits. Memories of the time when he had been a young recruit came to mind and he honestly didn't think it was enough to prepare him to deal with and educate young people who were about to make a life choice.

But, on the other hand, that might be a good idea as a kind of break from his missions as a member of the Army Special Forces. It's not like he's complaining, but Cliff and his men have had almost no rest since they joined this task force, having to carry out missions after missions. A rest would be a really good idea.

“May I ask, what would be the areas of my responsibility if I accepted?” Cliff asked with both hands behind his back, looking directly into the major's eyes.

“It would be nothing outside your area of expertise, so you don't need to worry.” replied the major cheerful, thinking that the other was about to accept his offer. “It would basically be: body training, target shooting, mission simulation and performance evaluation together with the other instructors.” he smiled at Cliff. “Can I then inform the others that you are interested in taking the place?”

“You say that, but you know that I never refuse your requests.” said Cliff in a relaxed way with a smile. “But this time I would like to make a request if you don't mind.” the older man gave him permission to continue with a nod. “Since I will not be able to work on new missions during the period that I am in the position of instructor, could my men also carry out other activities here?”

“This is Captain Unger that I know. Always thinking of your men first of all.” after laughing, he put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. “Request accepted, captain. Classes have already started, but you can use the first two days starting today to observe and clear up doubts with your colleagues.” he paused a little. “I have high expectations, Cliff.”

“And the last thing I want is to ruin your expectations, sir.” Cliff responded politely and calmly. “I really thank you for thinking of me to take this position. I'm sure you have several other subordinates as capable of doing this task as I am.”

“Modest as ever.” still with the hand on the captain's shoulder, the two started walking together down the corridor. “I bet you haven't called yet to inform your grandfather that you're now a captain.”

“There is no need to do that, as I can already imagine what his response will be.” the younger replied laughing. “First he will ask if I am eating well since I have no cooking skills and then he will say that he don't give a damn about my promotion as a captain, because the only thing that matters is that I come home in one piece.”

Upon hearing this, the eldest laughed having fun thinking about how much his old friend had changed since he started raising his grandson. The two, the major and the captain's grandfather, had served together for several years until the old friend retired to have a peaceful country life. Seeming to be a work of destiny, years ago he ended up being one of Cliff's instructors during his training period as a recruit and now they were superior and subordinate, but acting more like companions, sometimes leaving the difference in hierarchy aside.

“Of course, that old man will always be more concerned about your well-being than medals or promotions.” agreed the major, sighing. “You are the only family there is left for him.”

“That works for both sides.” said Cliff in a more serious tone. “You should visit him more often, major. I'm sure he would be happy to see his old friend, so you two can discuss a lot of things about your grandchildren.”

“You're making fun of my age, aren't you, boy?” asked the eldest, seeming to have been offended and angry at the other's words.

“I don't know what you're talking about, sir. I wouldn't even dream of doing such a thing.”

“Hm… And I suppose you too think that I didn't see the cigarette, right?” those words made the other's smile disappear completely. “Maybe I should talk about your unhealthy addiction the next time I visit your grandfather.”

“And why would you do that? Just to make him want to kill us both?” asked Cliff, smiling.

The two continued to talk, heading towards the major's office where they would discuss today's mission. On the next day, Cliff would begin his duties as an instructor.

Watching the training of new recruits brought a nostalgic feeling to Cliff. While remembering several things from his time as a recruit, he also noticed some small changes that had probably been made in order to make training even more effective. Like everything in life, there were things he approved of and things he did not, but it was not something he should say since he was only there to fulfill a function he was given.

In total, recruits were divided into 4 groups of 12 each.

In addition to himself, there were 5 other instructors, 4 of whom were responsible for each group of recruits. He would not be in charge of any group, but would give classes to everyone, at different times depending on the schedule of each group.

It was then that something caught his attention when he was talking to one of the instructors, a thin man who seemed to enjoy hearing his own voice, as he never stopped talking and seemed not at all bothered by the fact that his colleague did not say a word. Among a group of recruits who were not far from where he was, Cliff noticed the beginning of an argument that seemed to be gradually heading into a fight.

“Is that part of the training, too, Lieutenant Connor?” questioned Cliff calmly, as a way of calling his colleague's attention to what was happening.

“Hm?” it was only after hearing the captain's question and looking at the recruits that the lieutenant realized what was happening. “Again? I mean, you must understand that situations like this happen in an unpredictable way, however careful we try to be, sir.” he sighed tiredly. “But I must confess that I wish I didn't have to deal with the confusion that certain recruits love to make.” when a punch was delivered by one of the recruits in the face of another recruit, the lieutenant sighed even louder. “Excuse me, captain.” after receiving a nod from Cliff, the thin man began to address the recruits. “WRIGHT! Get off Richard right now before I send you and him to wash all the dormitory bathrooms.”

The young recruit the lieutenant had shouted at was a boy of about 18, with short brown hair and intense blue eyes. From the way that no one seems to side with him, Cliff guessed that he must be the type who didn't socialize with others and when he did... apparently the conversation ended with punches. Despite being shorter than Richard, Wright had no trouble beating his colleague, showing that he was smart and fast.

There was something about his blue eyes that made the captain think he had the potential to be anything he wanted. And that it would be a great waste of all that to end because of his bad behavior. He really hoped that in time, young Wright would be able to better control his temper, regardless of what his colleagues may have said to provoke him.

As he continued to observe the scene with curiosity, for a second, Cliff realized that his eyes met young Wright's. It was difficult to say what could have gone through the young recruit's mind, but the captain could have sworn that the boy seemed to read his thoughts and so a cheeky smile appeared on his bruised lips from the fight.

“And where do you think you're looking, Wright?! My eyes are here!” shouted the lieutenant.

“Sorry, sir.” the boy replied, looking back at the lieutenant. “It is difficult to say when you are talking to us or just enjoying the sound of your own voice.” everyone laughed at that, even Cliff smiled.

“200 push-ups, Mr. Wright! And you will still wash the bathrooms.”


	2. Report number two: Instructor and recruit

As he parked the motorcycle next to his grandfather's old black truck, Cliff removed his helmet and looked at the house in front of him, finally feeling that he had indeed come home. Despite living there as long as he can remember, he felt a nostalgic and comfortable feeling dominating him whenever he came across that small two-story house. The appearance of the house had certainly changed a little over the years, but nothing that made it look any less beautiful.

“Home, sweet home.” he mumbled to himself smiling, while removing his gloves and putting them inside the helmet, to finally get off the bike and walk towards the front door of the house.

Inside the house, he placed his helmet and keys on a table near the entrance, but still kept the backpack on his back because he would most likely take it to his room. Searching for his grandfather room by room, Cliff smiled, already knowing where he was. Leaving the house through the back door, he walked to the garage, which had long since taken on the role of being the space where Mr. Mikhael Unger built and repaired things, like a kind of workshop.

The man inside the garage was working on something on his desk, at the same time listening to some old but classic music on the radio because it was still played by broadcasters. Despite not sharing the same musical taste with his grandfather, Cliff recognized the song.

“Fly Me To The Moon?” he asked in surprise, taking a seat in the other chair that was inside the garage and placing his backpack between his legs. “Feeling nostalgic today, grandpa?”

“I'm surprised that you recognized this song. Young people like you seem more interested in very different types of music.” his grandfather replied, still keeping his attention on the table and in whatever he has fixing.

“I may not be a fan of Frank Sinatra's songs, but I at least know what grandma's favorite song was.” Cliff noticed that his grandfather's hand stopped moving for a second, indicating that he was surprised by this information. “I may have been a child when she mentioned that you two danced to that song, but I remember. Like all the other memories I have of her.”

“It seems that in the end you ended up being more nostalgic than me, Cliff.” Mikhael finally looked at his grandson, smiling as he laid eyes on the uniform he was wearing. “Welcome back.” the two hugged each other tightly, laughing. “I really hope that the Major will give you more time off until the next mission, because otherwise I think I will have to pay him a visit.”

“Oh, then you will be happy to know the next job he gave me.” Cliff said, placing his hand on his grandfather's shoulder and smiling in amusement, looking even younger.

Cliff told his grandfather about his future job as an instructor for the young recruits that would start officially tomorrow and although he was surprised, Mikhael was also very happy to know that his grandson would spend more time there and that he would also not risk dangerous assignments.

After being expelled by his grandfather who insisted that he needed to finish fixing a wall clock and that dinner would take place at 8 pm, as usual, Cliff went to his room and after throwing his backpack aside, he lay down on his bed. The mattress was so comfortable that he even sighed, relieved that he no longer had to sleep on hard beds or on the cold floor. Of course, he would never complain about it, especially since it was part of his job, but that also didn't mean that Cliff would refuse to be happy to finally be able to sleep there again.

Out of pure habit, he turned his head in the direction where a guitar was hanging on its back, near the wall. Cliff had tried to play that instrument more than a few times in his life, but he had never really been interested in learning to play the guitar. It had more sentimental than practical value. It was his father's guitar.

Although he never met them, inside his room, Cliff had several things that once belonged to his parents, as well as photo albums. He would probably find even more of his father's things in that house, if he bothered to look for it, after all that had also been the house where Kyle Unger grew up. He and Vanessa, Cliff's mother, died in a plane crash when Cliff was still a baby and for that reason he was raised by his paternal grandparents.

Perhaps because he was raised by his grandparents, Cliff was and in some ways still is, a little different from other people of the same age. His calm and polite manners were rare to see in someone so young, but they helped him to develop his unique personality and end up following his grandfather's military career to receive the rank of captain much earlier than his other colleagues.

Katherine, Cliff's grandmother, passed away last year due to health issues, but before that, she and her husband raised their grandson with all the care and love possible, even though they were still in pain of losing their only son and daughter-in-law so early. Cliff loved his grandparents more than anything and was grateful for everything they did in a way that, although he sometimes missed having his parents around, he always felt part of a wonderful family.

“Be honest with me, do you really think I have the ability to be a good instructor?” Cliff asked his grandfather, revealing his insecurity about his new job while they both had dinner.

The young captain was not in the habit of sharing his true feelings with others, as it was to be expected a certain competence from a military man like himself, even if these feelings only indicated that he was human like any other person. However, he had no reason to hide it from his grandfather and honestly Cliff always felt better after having conversations like this with him. More than being a retired military man, Mikhael preferred to be the grandfather of that young man and help him whenever possible.

“I imagine your insecurity is due more to the fact that you have never done this before than actually having the skills to do something like that.” his grandfather started to say, without taking his eyes off his plate. “Honestly? I think you could do anything you want and being an instructor will help you to be even better in your career, as well as helping young recruits to understand the weight of choice they made.” after saying that, the older man laughed happily, looking at the grandson. “But don't think it will be an easy task. I dare say that perhaps this is going to be the most difficult task you will face, especially if you are lucky enough to have some "rebellious" students in your class.”

“I still remember my time as a recruit, you know?” replied Cliff, smiling, satisfied and content with his grandfather's words. “It was hard, exhausting and probably made every muscle in my body hurt for weeks, but nothing that seems like a difficult task.” as soon as he said that, Cliff looked suspiciously at the man in front of him who now had a cheeky smile on the lips. “What? Do you know something I don't?”

“You say that only because you were a recruit in that time.” he was silent for a few seconds while eating some more of the food on his plate. “Try to put yourself in your instructor's place and I doubt you will repeat the same words.” Mikhael smiled as he watched his grandson thinking silently. “You're still young, Cliff. You have a lot to learn. This will be very good for you and I can't wait to hear all about it.”

Cliff began to understand his grandfather's words after he started teaching the young recruits four times a week, even on the weekend. As he was the only instructor who wasn’t responsible for any group, Cliff was in charge of carrying out the mission simulations during the weekends.

It turns out that being an instructor for young people, even when it came to future soldiers, certain indiciplinarities and insubordinations were much more present than compared to Cliff's team. In other words, they were a bunch of kids who still needed to be disciplined and he would have to use all his patience to make that happen.

Among all 4 groups, the group under the responsibility of Sergeant Saul easily became the most problematic group and this was not surprising since it was the group in which the young Wright was part. In his defense, it was not his fault, but the way his colleagues felt about him.

In all his years in the army, Cliff had never met anyone like young Wright before. For most of his colleagues or superiors, that boy was nothing more than an arrogant and rebellious soldier who seemed unable to comply with the orders he was given. The captain agreed that the young recruit had a complicated personality, but that didn’t mean he was hopeless. There was something about his intense blue gaze that just made Cliff feel like he was capable of doing anything, if that was really something he wanted.

This became more and more clear as Cliff watched young Wright during the training of his classes. Although he kept his distance from the rest of his colleagues, Wright showed an unparalleled strength of will and dedication, even compared with the rest of the recruits in the other classes.

Wright’s physique during the body training classes indicated that he had already practiced some type of training before even enlisting for the army. His weapon skills during shooting training improved considerably with each passing day. And he was smart, the kind that could be considered a genius or a prodigy, but clearly he tried not to show it more than necessary, probably so as not to have to deal with the envy and discontent that his colleagues may feel more than they already did.

During the meetings with the other instructors, Cliff realized that he was not the only one who had noticed the potential of young Wright, in particular, according to Captain Chad's reports, Wright was his best student in dog training classes.

Out of pure curiosity, Cliff decided to attend one of the dog training classes and ended up being surprised. Wright’s smile while playing with Logan, the beautiful dog that belonged to the training group, was so genuine that he ended up transforming him into someone completely different from the boy who usually ignored Cliff, while he was explaining the training they would have to do on the day.

“Are my classes that boring for you, Mr. Wright?”

Cliff's question sounded more like he was curious about the young recruit's behavior than he was offended by his lack of interest. More than paying attention to his classes, the captain wanted Wright to use all this training to become a great soldier that he knew the boy could be if at least someone believed in his potential or at least showed him to be social or perhaps polite with colleagues and superiors was not the end of the world.

“It depends on what you consider boredom, sir.” honestly, Cliff didn't expect a different answer than that, but apparently the other recruits thought differently when they looked at Wright as if they didn't believe what he had just said. “I will not lie and say that your classes are my favorites, but you’re certainly the most tolerable instructor among all the others.”

Although his words were far from a usual compliment, for someone like Wright, it definitely seemed like the best kind of compliment he could give to an instructor. It was impossible not to smile when Cliff heard that. He liked the young man's honesty, even though the captain was the only one who thought that way.

“I appreciate your honesty, but I would like you to be more direct with me, as just being the most tolerable instructor from your point of view will hardly help me understand why you ignore my explanations.” Cliff replied calmly and seriously, without being authoritarian.

“Oh. Why would you want to understand me, sir?” Wright looked surprised, despite pretending otherwise. “You don't have to pretend to worry, because I know exactly what most instructors think about me.” he stopped talking and briefly looked at the other recruits present there. “And my colleagues.” the young man faced the captain again. “I'm not like most other recruits, right?”

The two stood facing each other for a few seconds, while the rest of the class watched in silence as if they were waiting for something to happen. It gave the impression that this group was already used to seeing young recruit Wright argue with the instructors.

“No. You aren’t like the other recruits, Mr. Wright.” agreed Cliff, smiling in a way that made the expression of the young man changed. “I hope that in time you will come to realize that I am not like the other instructors either.”

Satisfied with the confused and surprised look right in Wright's blue eyes, Cliff walked away and continued to explain and talk about what the next activities would be, giving the impression that conversation had not even occurred.


End file.
